Ecology nail-clip reservoir device

ABSTRACT

An enclosed nail clip and enclosing case operable in the closed state of the case having a case reservoir structure for the clipped nails, the clipping lever being enclosed with an exposed lever-end accessible for applying finger pressure thereto to close the clipper blades, and the casing structure providing a concavely shaped aperture following the opposing blades providing access to finger ends carrying nails to be clipped, the enclosure being openable for emptying collected clippings therefrom, the blades being pivotably mounted on one-another and the upper blade including a unitary spring biasing upwardly a clipping arm of its lower blade.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,903,596

Crosby Sept. 9, 1975 [54] ECOLOGY NAIL-CLIP RESERVOIR DEVICE 3,299,505 1/1967 Pionek 30/29 3. l6,632 5 1967 B0 3 J 2 [76] Inventor: Kenneth R. Crosby, 128 Fort 3 WUS U 8 xz g New York Prinuzry Examiner-Al Lawrence Smith Assistant E,\'aminerJ. C. Peters [22] Filed: Sept. 27, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 510,112 1 ABSTRACT Related U S A cation Data An enclosed nail clip and enclosing case operable in pp 7 the closed state of the case having a case reservoir [63] f; 225 structure for the clipped nails, the clipping lever being d enclosed with an exposed lever-end accessible for applying finger pressure thereto to close the clipper [if] blades, and the casing Structure providing a concavely E g 28 29 124 shaped aperture following the opposing blades providing access to finger ends carrying nails to be clipped, the enclosure being openable for emptying collected [56] References Cited clippings therefrom, the blades being pivotably UNITED STATES PATENTS mounted on one-another and the upper blade includ- 183,256 10/1876 Edge 30/29 ing a unitary spring biasing upwardly a clipping arm of 1,555,973 10/1925 its lower b]ad5 1,809,556 6/1931 3,180,025 4/1965 Tsunemi 30/28 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ECOLOGY NAIL-CLIP RESERVOIR DEVICE This is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 462,253 filed Apr. 19, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,698 to a nail-clip.

This invention is directed to a finger and/or toe nail clipper.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Prior to the present invention, it has been common practice to clip the nails with use of the conventional vise-clipper having the lever handle 'which when de pressed, by fulcum pressure serves to force together the opposing clipper blades, and the clipped nails fall into the chair or onto the carpet or floor or dirty-up other equally clean place where it would normally be desired to avoid such debris, and the vacuum cleaner or carpet cleaner being the usual most effective method or means for cleaning-up the mess after the clipping operation. So, to say the least, such clippers, although most convenient and efficient in neatly clipping nails without undue loss of time, is particularly untidy and therefore a problem from the standpoint of house-keeping as well as a problem or hazard healthwise, finger and toes being usually especially unsanitary. Prior clips have had lever arms that could not be operatively enclosed within a casing, and that require a separate mountingpost, and devoid of enclosing cases with such leverconcealing advantage and devoid of a casing shaped to receive a finger end, and devoid of an enclosing casing with special nail clip reservoir space, and devoid of a separable base bottom for ease in emptying the reservoir.

Also, prior clip work primarily by forceful wedging of opposing aligned blade into abutting contact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to overcome one or more of the difficulties, problems, and hazards of the types discussed above.

Another object is to obtain an ecological device for the efficient and effective clipping of nails while maintaining sanitation and order of the environment.

Another object is to obtain a detachable reservoir bottom to a clipper case-clipper combination, for ease of emptying clipped nails.

Another object is to obtain a nail clip utilizing shearing action, rather than mere force of opposing wedge blades.

Another object is to obtain a convenient and portable reservoir clipper for collecting and storing and periodic disposing of clipped nails, during and after the clipping of the nails.

Another object is to obtain a clipper blade having a unitary biasing spring element.

Another object is to obtain a enclosed clip of which the case end is shaped to receive the finger end during clipping.

Another object is to obtain a clipper avoiding above problems and difficulties and achieving the abovenoted other objects, while being of simple structure and manufacture and cost of raw materials and convenient to handle relative to the clipping of finger nails and toe nails.

Another object is to embody a nail clip lever arm shaped to effectively clip while being nevertheless easily enclosed while remaining operative to clip.

Other objects become apparent from the preceeding and following disclosure.

One or more objects of the present invention are ob tained by the invention as defined herein.

Broadly the invention includes an enclosing nail clipper vessel structure encasing a fingernail clip with an enclosed concealed clip lever arm remaining operative and holding the clip in a sturdy manner which avoid the shifting of the clip within the casing which shifting could cause faulty clipping or accidents in the cutting of a nail if the clip slipped during the pressing of the clipper lever, and providing access openings for the handle pressure-end of the lever portion of the lower clipping blade, the upper clipping blade having a rearward portion seated in the rearwardly-extending slot, while providing a reservoir space into which falls the clippped nails. The seated rearward portion of the upper blade includes a unitary leaf spring cut from and a part of the same structure as the blade, thus reducing cost of manufacture and eliminating the need for a complex spring-mounting mechanism. For making possible a more sturdy and steady pressing downwardly of the end of the clipper lever arm, there is a handle mounted on the distal end of the lever of preferably a flat nature and which handle extends upwardly through the access opening thereby making the pressing of the lever more convenient and more accessible to major pressure from a pressing finger. Also, preferably the clip-blade end of the enclosing end of the casing includes concave recess for receiving the finger end from which the nail is being clipped. The reservoir structure defines a space communicating with the recess receiving the blade-end of the clip and the casing is of a sufficiently small size and flattened shape as to make its carrying and handling easy and convenient in the hands, pockets, and/or ladies pocket book. The top is slidably detachable from the reservoir-containing bottom for easy emptying of the clipped nails.

Preferably the lower blades cutting edge over-laps (extends beyond) the upper blade, to result in a shearing action for a clean-cut of the nail being cut from the finger or toe.

THE FIGURES FIG. 1 illustrates an emploded side and rearwardly view in perspective, of the casing bottom and clipper thereof.

FIG. 2 illustrates an elevation side view of the lower blade, with its lever arm extension and mounted handle.

FIG. 3 illustrates an elevation plan view of the FIG. 2 embodiment along lines 3-3 thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates an elevation front view of FIG. 5 clipper combination embodiment as taken along lines 55 thereof.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of the FIG. 1 embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrate a perspective front-side view of the entire casing and encased clipper.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional in part view along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate a single preferred embodiment 8 of FIG. 6 which other Figures disclose particular features thereof. FIG. 1 shows the seating and shapes of the casing bottom 24 and the FIG. 5 clippers 11, each of FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 illustrating the unitary leaf spring structure 19a a part of the body 19 of lower blade 10 of FIGS. 3 and 4, leaf spring 19a shown in a biasing state in FIG. 7. The lever portion 12 seats in recess 29a of upper casing 25.

The illustrated grouping of easing bottom and clipper upper blade 9 of FIGS. 1 and 5 and lower clipper blade 10 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 shows the handle 13 mounted on upper lever portion 12 continuous with stepped pivot structure 14 seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7, with its male button 18 seated in female indentation 20 shown in FIG. 5. The lower blade 10 has cutting edge structure 15 extending from beneath and overlappingly beyond upper cutting edge structure 21 of upper blade most clearly seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. Each of cutting edge structures 15 and 21 are concavely shaped as surfaces 17 and 23 of FIG. 4, such that together with the overlapping blade 15, serves to obtain improved shearing action.

Upper casing 25 and lower casing 24 define opening 22 at the recess space 16 of FIGS. 1, 6 and 7. Baffle walls 28a and 28b segregate reservoir spaces 30a and 30b from central clipper-seating slot 31, reservoir spaces 30a and 30b from outer walls 29a and 29b and ports 27a and 27b.

It is within the scope of the present invention to make variations and substitution of equivalents within ordinary skill.

I claim:

l. -A nail clip device comprising in combination: an enclosure means including a bottom member defining front and'rear and lateral portions and a bottom section interconnecting the lateral portion and slot-recess structure of the bottom member defining a slot recess in the nature of a slot extending from the front to rear portions in an upper face of the bottom member and adjacent the side portion there being defined additional recess space communicating with the slot recess at a front portion, the additional recess space being defined also in the upper face of the bottom member, and there being a concave recess in the front portion in a front side wall therein defined in communication with a forward end of the slot recess, and the bottom member in the base of the slot recess forward end being shaped to stably receive a bottom face of a nail clipper means; a nail clipper means including upper and lower biasedapart clipping blades pivotably mounted for coordinate clipping action one relative to the other, the lower clipping blade including a stepped lever upper arm defining steps therein proximal to the blade thereof and distal lever portions spaced apart by a step portion, the clipper blade including an integral spring biased against a lower face of the lever upper arm, such that downward pressure on a terminal end of the lever upper arm is closable together of the upper and lower clipping blades; and an upper top member shaped to fit on top of the bottom member and to enclose therebeneath said nailclipper means and said slot recess and said additional recess and defining a through space at an end mounted over the terminal end of said distal lever portion for exterior access to press downwardly the terminal end of said distal lever portion.

2. A nail clip device of claim 1, in which the first and second clipping blades are mounted pivotably on each other by mating male projections and female indentations, in which the spring is a leaf spring and is unitary with structure of the upper clipping blade, and in which extending from a forward portion thereof rearwardly to said through space such that said stepped lever arm is seatable flushly therein.

3. A nail clip device of claim 2, in which there are two of said side portions one mounted opposite the other with one on each of opposite sides of the slot recess structure, and in which each of opposite side portions of each of the bottom member and the upper top member jointly define structure for detachably locking together in a closed state the bottom member and the upper top member.

4. A nail clip device of claim 3, in which the jointly defined structure for detachably locking together the bottom member and the top member comprises an outwardly-extending flange structure on a matching edge of the other member for each of opposite side portions, with the respective flanges running from front to rear such that the top member is slidably securably mountable on the bottom member.

5. A nail clip device of claim 4, in which each of the top member and the bottom member defines a substantially top and bottom face respectively about parallel to oneanother.

6. A nail clip device of claim 5, in which a blade lip of the lower cutting blade of the lower clipping blade extends along the length axis of the lower clipping blade a predetermined distance beyond and overlapping the upper clipping blade cutting blade.

'7. A nail clip device of claim 6, in which said upper clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped, in which said lower clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped.

8. A nail clip device of claim 1, in which a blade lip of the lower cutting blade of the lower clipping blade extends along the length axis of the lower clipping blade a predetermined distance beyond and overlapping the upper clipping blade cutting blade.

9. A nail clip device of claim 8, in which said upper clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped, in which said lower clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped. 

1. A nail clip device comprising in combination: an enclosure means including a bottom member defining front and rear and lateral portions and a bottom section interconnecting the lateral portion and slot-recess structure of the bottom member defining a slot recess in the nature of a slot extending from the front to rear portions in an upper face of the bottom member and adjacent the side portion there being defined additional recess space communicating with the slot recess at a front portion, the additional recess space being defined also in the upper face of the bottom member, and there being a concave recess in the front portion in a front side wall therein defined in communication with a forward end of the slot recess, and the bottom member in the base of the slot recess forward end being shaped to stably receive a bottom face of a nail clipper means; a nail clipper means including upper and lower biased-apart clipping blades pivotably mounted for coordinate clipping action one relative to the other, the lower clipping blade including a stepped lever upper arm defining steps therein proximal to the blade thereof and distal lever portions spaced apart by a step portion, the clipper blade including an integral spring biased against a lower face of the lever upper arm, such that downward pressure on a terminal end of the lever upper arm is closable together of the upper and lower clipping blades; and an upper top member shaped to fit on top of the bottom member and to enclose therebeneath said nail clipper means and said slot recess and said additional recess and defining a through space at an end mounted over the terminal end of said distal lever portion for exterior access to press downwardly the terminal end of said distal lever portion.
 2. A nail clip device of claim 1, in which the first and second clipping blades are mounted pivotably on each other by mating male projections and female indentations, in which the spring is a leaf spring and is unitary with structure of the upper clipping blade, and in which extending from a forward portion thereof rearwardly to said through space such that said stepped lever arm is seatable flushly therein.
 3. A nail clip device of claim 2, in which there are two of said side portions one mounted opposite the other with one on each of opposite sides of the slot recess structure, and in which each of opposite side portions of each of the bottom member and the upper top member jointly define structure for detachably locking together in a closed state the bottom member and the upper top member.
 4. A nail clip device of claim 3, in which the jointly defined structure for detachably locking together the bottom member and the top member comprises an outwardly-extending flange structure on a matching edge of the other member for each of opposite side portions, with the respective flanges running from front to rear such that the top member is slidably securably mountable on the bottom member.
 5. A nail clip device of claim 4, in which each of the top member and the bottom member defines a substantially top and bottom face respectively about parallel to one-anOther.
 6. A nail clip device of claim 5, in which a blade lip of the lower cutting blade of the lower clipping blade extends along the length axis of the lower clipping blade a predetermined distance beyond and overlapping the upper clipping blade cutting blade.
 7. A nail clip device of claim 6, in which said upper clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped, in which said lower clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped.
 8. A nail clip device of claim 1, in which a blade lip of the lower cutting blade of the lower clipping blade extends along the length axis of the lower clipping blade a predetermined distance beyond and overlapping the upper clipping blade cutting blade.
 9. A nail clip device of claim 8, in which said upper clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped, in which said lower clipping blade in a substantially upright plane is concavely shaped. 